Could You Help Me
by LolaVerdigris
Summary: Galinda is determined to show Elphaba there's no hard feelings when she discovers her roommate likes women. If only she would have prepared herself for own feelings. One shot. Gelphie fluff.


Dear Readers,

I tried to sneak in a fluffy one-shot while finishing up an update to my longer, much darker fiction, Her Lady's Maid. After last week, I needed a little lightness.

Hope you're all well!

Xoxo,  
Lola

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Galinda lost her words. They had been sitting there chatting, Galinda on her knees, leaning over and emptying their picnic basket onto their blanket, when the blonde looked up to catch Elphaba's gaze fixed on her bosom. Her new pale blue summer dress cut lower than her usual dresses, showing off the top of her sand-white breasts. While she knew the view might interest Fiyero or Boq, it never occurred to her that the sight of her breasts could affect her roommate like this. Only Elphaba's cold lifeless books ever stole her attention. But, here, Elphaba sat, looking transfixed, absorbed— aroused even. Her slim pink tongue wet her green lips. Galinda's heart fluttered. Inhaling, her breasts rose and her roommate swallowed, hard. _She's attracted to me_ , Galinda realized. Before the blonde knew how she felt, Elphaba looked up and noticed Galinda had stopped talking. It was clear she had been caught. Her brown eyes blinked before she cleared her throat and said in a pitch Galinda had never heard,

"I must see Boq."

"Later this afternoon?" Galinda asked.

"Now!" she said and shot up from her spot, books in hand, her cheeks dark with embarrassment. "I promised to study with him for the biology exam."

"But I thought we were going to have lunch together?"

"Some other time," Elphaba said over her shoulder, already dashing toward the library.

Returning to her room, carrying the picnic basket and blanket, Galinda sighed. Really what a pitiful excuse! Did Elphaba think her an idiot? Study with Boq? Ha! Elphaba always took the highest marks in all her classes. The girl had no need to study with anyone at all. What hurt Galinda more than the blatant lie was what the lie represented. Elphaba didn't trust her. Didn't think enough of her to share who she really was with her. What kind of close-minded bigot did she think Galinda was? Did she believe Galinda would suddenly dislike, abandon, or dismiss her? Honestly!

While she couldn't return Elphaba's feelings, of course she would still want to be friends. Didn't Elphaba know that? She had wanted to be friends with Elphaba ever since Horrible Morrible introduced them. Elphaba was the wittiest, smartest person she had ever seen, not to mention—graceful, bold, courageous, enchanting—she practically excelled at everything. Except for her fashion sense of course, but no one was perfect. Galinda smiled, remembering their first meeting. Elphaba's appearance had surprised her. And, yet, despite her coloring Glinda never found Elphaba's features off-putting, like Pfannee, Shenshen, and the rest of the campus did.

Elphaba really didn't have any other close friends outside of her. And, only very recently had they become close, checking in before bed, wishing each other good luck in the mornings, leaving short notes on each other's desks, smiling to each other in class. Today was supposed to be their first outing together. The first time Elphaba wouldn't eat lunch alone. That was until Galinda had abruptly stopped talking. Oh dear Oz, it wasn't Elphaba's fault at all, was it? It was hers! Why shouldn't Elphaba be terrified of how Galinda, her _only_ friend would react? Especially when Galinda didn't appear understanding at all. No, she seemed a right dolt. If only Galinda had played it off. If only she hadn't let on that she had noticed anything out of the ordinary. Elphaba and her might have had a jolly good time. _What a ninny you are, Galinda Upland!_ Oh, well. She would just have to smooth things over. Convince Elphaba that her feelings toward women didn't bother her.

When Elphaba returned later, much later than usual, she didn't say a word. Galinda, grabbing a nightgown from her closet, looked up and opened her mouth to greet her, but Elphaba walked straight past her. She sat at her desk, pulled out her notebook, and started scribbling, in that determined, don't bother me kind of way.

It appeared that smoothing things over was going to be a little harder than Galinda thought. No matter. Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands was nothing if not up for a challenge. If Elphaba wouldn't let her speak, Galinda would just have to _show_ her roommate how understanding and open she could be. She tossed her night gown back in the closet and moved in front of her full-length mirror, and raised her voice.

"Could you help me?"

The scribbling stopped, but Elphaba made no reply.

"Could you help me with my dress, Miss Elphaba?"

Elphaba kept her silence.

"Please?" Galinda added.

"Why?"

" _Why_?

"Yes… _why_?" Elphaba asked without turning around.

"Because I can't reach the buttons."

"You managed to reach them this morning, didn't you?"

Way to be stubborn, Elphaba! Galinda exhaled and said,

"Yes, but it was a struggle— a struggle I'd rather not repeat, now that my most helpful, most wondertasticus roommate has appeared."

Elphaba snorted. Galinda exhaled, preparing to waltz over, rip Elphaba from her chair, and march her to the mirror when she heard Elphaba's chair scrap the wooden floor. Galinda straightened. When Elphaba came behind her, Galinda's heart fluttered so wildly she thought it might explode from her chest. Elphaba's shy brown eyes looked into hers. How had Galinda missed it? Elphaba Thropp was most definitely witty and smart, but she was also strikingly beautiful. They stared at each other, for a second longer than comfortable, then another, and another. Galinda finally cleared her throat and said,

"This dress while absolutely gorgeous and very expensive is a pinch too tight. It's made from silks from the Vinkus and if it tore, it would be—"

"A crisis, clearly," Elphaba finished.

"Exactly," Galinda said in a lilt, smiling shyly.

Elphaba reached out for Galinda's dress, her hands shaking.

Eager to calm, Galinda blurted,

"But, thank Oz, you're here to help me out of my clothes."

Elphaba stiffened, her hands stopping, a deep pine blush filling her cheeks as she kept her gaze fixed on the back of Galinda's dress.

 _What a thing to say!_ Galinda was only making Elphaba more nervous. The blonde bit her lip afraid to open her mouth again. Elphaba undid a few buttons. Then a few more. Galinda's dress went slack, sliding from her breasts. Galinda pressed a hand to her chest to keep it from drooping any further. Her body heated at the feeling of Elphaba's warm fingers brushing her bare skin, the sound of her breath at her ear. She was supposed to be calming Elphaba, not getting hot and bothered.

When Elphaba undid the final button, Galinda wanted to turn around and thank Elphaba, promptly ending what had started as such a well-intentioned idea. But, she stilled. Her roommate's hands had clutched the top of her dress. Suddenly Galinda remembered what she had said. _Thank Oz, you're here to help me out of my clothes._ But, she wasn't quite out of her clothes yet, now was she? Of all the times for Elphaba to take her at her word! _It was a figure of speech, Elphaba, a figure of speech!_ she thought as she felt Elphaba lower her dress. Galinda couldn't stop her roommate now. It would only embarrass her again. So she let Elphaba pull the dress off her shoulders, down her arms. Her breath stopped as Elphaba slid the dress even farther, forcing her to remove her hand and expose her well-endowed chest, hidden beneath a white lacy bra.

Watching Elphaba strip her from behind, Galinda's stomach coiled, a strange tingling wiggling between her legs. Elphaba slid the dress past her hips, her thumbs gliding down her thighs. Galinda crossed her legs as her white slip became visible. Finally, the dress fell to the floor.

"There you are, my pretty," Elphaba whispered, the term of endearment not lost on Galinda.

"Th-thank you," Galinda stuttered, feeling both relieved and shamefully disappointed as she watched Elphaba nod and take a step back.

Her roommate hadn't looked up, not once—until now. Her brown eyes went wide. Her cheeks blushed black as she took in Galinda's near naked form in the mirror. She reached behind herself, faltering backward. Watching Elphaba's reaction, Galinda's own cheeks burned unbearably. Elphaba averted her gaze, mumbling something about exams and slinking off to her desk. Galinda steadied her breath and bent down and grabbed her dress. She knew then, as she looked at herself in the mirror, her body still flushed with fever—her roommate wasn't the only one who had been hiding her feelings.

* * *

 **A/N** : I hope this turned out okay. I've never done a one-shot. Feedback would be much appreciated.


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